Girl, 16, drenched in hot oil by parents because she refused arranged marriage

Maarib All Hishmawi, 16, ran away from home after her parents promised another man she would marry him in exchange for $20,000.

The Sheriff’s department and the FBI launched a joint investigation to find Maarib Al Hishmawi.

“Maarib Al Hishmawi has not been seen by her family, she has not been heard from by her friends, so we have come to the conclusion that this is not a typical missing 16-year-old,” BCSO Assistant Chief Deputy Ronald Bennett said during a press conference on Tuesday.

Maarib Al Hishmawi disappeared from home as she was forced into an arranged marriage. Her parents had promised a man that she would tie the knot with him in exchange for $20,000.

Maarib Al Hishmawi disappeared from Taft High School, Bexar, Texas, in January and was found safe a couple days ago.

Maarib Al Hishmawi was sheltered by an organization that found her homeless.

Maarib Al Hishmawi parents have been arrested after it was revealed that they would throw burning oil over her, beat her with a broom stick and once almost choked her to death on at least one occasion because she refused to marry a man of their choice.

In a press conference at the time, BCSO Assistant Chief Deputy Ronald Bennett said: “I cannot speculate on who (abused her), or when, or how severe. I do understand that this has been a recurring issue for her according to some interviews.”

He said that the FBI was called in to assist in the investigation due to Al Hishmawi’s ethnicity, and helped the Sheriff’s Office navigate the language barrier.

“This young lady, at various times over that time period was subjected to some pretty bad abuse because she didn’t want to be married to this person,” Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said on Friday.